COACHING STAFF

Austin Meyer

In 2023-2024, head coach Austin Meyer led the Northwest Missouri State women's basketball program to its first NCAA tournament in 13 years. The Bearcats finished with a 23-8 record and tied for second place in the MIAA. The 16 MIAA victories were the second most in program history.

The Bearcats have put together three straight .500 or better seasons (17-12, 15-15, 23-8) which has only happened one other time in the last 30 years.

Meyer moved into 3rd place in all time coaching wins (82) at Northwest at the conclusion of the 2023-24 season.

Austin Meyer was introduced as the ninth head women's basketball coach in program history on March 19, 2018.

Associate Head Coach
Meyer served as a full time member of the men's basketball staff at Northwest from 2008-18. Starting in 2015, he served as the program's associate head coach.

With Meyer on the bench as a full-time coach with the men’s basketball program, Northwest has won 215 games (21.5 wins per season average), captured six MIAA regular season titles, four MIAA Tournament titles and one NCAA Division II National Championship. Thirty-three Bearcats earned MIAA honors in the past decade and three were named the conference’s Player of the Year. In addition, seven student-athletes were named to the All-Defensive Team, three earned MIAA Freshman of the Year accolades and two Bearcats earned NABC All-America honors.

Meyer served as the men’s program’s lead recruiter. His other duties included organizing and running the Center Court Cat Club, organizing and presenting opponent scouting reports, coordinating official visits, coordinating team travel, community engagements, summer camps, social media, skill development and more.

Student-Athlete and Graduate Assistant
Meyer was a four-year letter winner for the Bearcat men’s basketball team from 2002-06. He scored 1,294 career points and held the then-Northwest career record with 215 made three-pointers. He graduated from Northwest with his bachelor’s degree in corporate recreation in 2006 and earned his master’s in physical education in 2008. He served as a graduate assistant on Steve Tappmeyer’s staff for two seasons before being promoted to assistant coach prior to the 2008-09 season.

Personal
Meyer, a native of Blue Springs, Missouri, and his wife Kelsi (Franklin) reside in Maryville. The couple has two children - Mary Claire and Franklin.

Chris Guess

Northwest Missouri State University head women’s basketball coach Austin Meyer announced May 1 the hiring of long-time Iowa high school hall of famer Chris Guess to the Bearcat coaching staff.

Guess has spent the last 32 years as a high school coach in the state of Iowa. Guess captured a pair of large school state championships at Waukee High School in the Des Moines area. Guess was inducted into the Iowa Basketball Hall of Fame in 2022. He led prep schools to 15 state tournament appearances in his high school coaching tenure.

“Coach Guess is a proven winner,” Meyer said. “He is experienced, passionate and knows how to work. You can feel a different energy when he walks into a room, and he has the ability to connect with anyone at any moment. He and his wife, Sheri, will be great additions to our program and the Maryville community.”

Guess was a National Coach of the Year Finalist in 2022 and was also a nominee for the award in 2015. He was selected as the 5A State Coach of the Year in 2015 and 2021.

He served as a high school coach at Centerville, Glenwood, Ottumwa, Waukee and Waukee Northwest in the state of Iowa.

Guess earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Graceland College in Lamoni, Iowa, in 1988. He earned his business education certification in 1991.

His wife, Sheri, played women’s basketball at the University of Colorado from 1991 to 1993.

The couple are the parents of Casey and Connor. Casey graduated from Iowa State in the class of 2018. Casey and his wife, Madison have a daughter, Carter. Connor also attended Iowa State University where he completed his undergraduate degree in 2021 and will graduate with his masters in 2023. He was a member of the Cyclone football team from 2018-2022.